Ex-Chicago Cop on trial for torturing confessions from hundreds of Black Men

from Jeff Mays' article on www.washingtoninformer.com:

....Flint Taylor, an attorney who represented many clients who say they were tortured by Burge, said the next battle is to change the laws regarding torture.

"Well, that's the statute of limitations problem and one of the many unaddressed issues in Chicago. We are very pleased that Burge is being prosecuted, but there is much left to do, and that includes dealing with federal and state statutes, legislation that would make torture a specific crime," said Taylor.

"And since it's a crime against humanity, there would be no statute of limitations, like there is no statute of limitations for genocide or murder. And in that instance, in the future, if there were another Burge or other torture -- another torture ring and it were covered up successfully for many years, then he could still or they could still be prosecuted for torture," Taylor added.

....Thousands of lives were ruined because these black men were tortured into admitting to crimes. Hundreds of children and family members probably had their lives change for the worse because they did not have the financial nor social benefit of having fathers, husbands, sons or uncles around.

....The Innocence Project estimates that, of the 254 men cleared using DNA evidence, almost 25 percent gave false confessions. This can and does happen in America. Not surprisingly, Taylor believes Burge learned his techniques after being imprisoned in a POW camp in Vietnam.

...."So there has to be an understanding that what we're dealing with here is a microcosm of what's going on and isn't going on nationally, in terms of prosecutions, in terms of restorative justice, in terms of dealing with the victims and the survivors of torture, and compelling the court system and the powers that be to deal responsibly and thoroughly and in a just manner with the whole scope of torture as an issue, both nationally and locally," Taylor said.